As part of its Immigrant Rights Program, the AFSC was collecting testimonies from children with family members who had been deported as illegal immigrants. Their stories were presented to Congress in June 2010.

Through her relationship with the AFSC, Soligue met 16-year-old Jocelyn. The girl’s mother, Maria, was deported three years ago after a fight with a neighbor, leaving Jocelyn and her father, Miguel, to take care of her sister and four brothers.

Jocelyn and her siblings were all born in the United States, making them legal U.S. citizens. Impressed by Jocelyn’s strength, Soligue turned her camera toward the family to capture their plight.

I'm inclined to believe the greatest risk you ever took in your "military career" was falling off a bar stool. The old "service to my country" crap hasn't meant anything for at least 20 years. Find a new scam.

I do not feel sorry for an illegal immigrant who came here and chose to have six children, then chose to leave them here when she was sent home. This is precisely an example of how illegal immigrants overburden our systems and don't pay their fair share. . . six kids to send through our school system (with attendant ESL and free meals in many cases)? C'mon, that's not right.

The media is making heroes out of these illegals. The next step is to give all illegals citizenship. This amnesty is an election year stunt so that all of the Hispanics will vote for him. By the way, I am also a war time vet ,so is my spouse, and believe our resources should go to our own people.

What's horrible is that these aliens spend all these years in the US illegal and they make absolutely no effort to adjust status to become a resident and ultimately a citizen. Thanks to the media they now get handouts from the government. What ever happened to entering a country legally? Do the millions who worked their butt off to become citizens through legal means agree with the latest news? I would assume it should be a slap in the face to them. Instead of working their way to US citizenship they could have just dodged immigration until someone turned a blind. Our founding fathers are turning in thier graves.

I realy feel sorry for the border states and California who have to deal with all the real problems illegal aliens pose and the lack of a permanent solution from either political sides. I would never support amnesty by the way I am Hispanic.

There won’t a permanent solution to the immigration problem in the foreseeable future because the US at this moment is a failed state. Whatever they proudly call a “Democracy” in fact is a Corporate Plutocracy. Board of directors is engaged in a mortal fight against each other for control over shareholders and their capital. So, do not expect any progress on any significant issue in this decade….

Veteran Huh, I don't think so... I'm Active Duty now 18yrs and I'm reading these post and started thinking how many of you served this country in anyway. To think that I have risk my life for people who don't respect anything or anyone. The immogration system is flawed at best but that being said no one should have to suffer for the sins of their parents. If your born in the US you should be allowed to stay and if you can prove hardship with a family member being deported that should be handled on a case by case bases aswell. The country was founded on this very thing nothing wrong with a little compassion.

My service doesn't matter one bit when it comes to this issue....but since you make your point by throwing it out there, then let me clarify......I am a Navy vet, retired, with a SPECWAR background. Deportation is cruel to these kids.....but that lies in the responsibilities of their PARENTS. Not me. Not my money. Not my sweat and blood. You want to get involved? YOU spend YOUR time and money doing support and outreach to them. DO NOT pull them into MY home and tell me I have to feed and cloth them with my tax dollars because YOU think so. I prefer my taxes to go toward teachers, police, firemen, armed forces, the space program, etc. You want to set up a charity state? You go adopt the kids, then, and pay for them yourself.

Agree with the majority of posts here–this article doesn't illicit sympathy, it's anger that comes to mind. If they miss her, perhaps they should go to her country and join her there. I'm Black AND conservative. Our immigration laws are a joke with illegals most often seeming to have the last laugh-at the US taxpayers expense.

All those born here that have Illegal parents need to return to where ever it is that that their parents came from no questions asked.!!!When an Illegal anchor baby is born in the USA they should NOT get an American birth certificate,period!! Case closed!!!

Why am I obligated to be politically correct and feel sorry for some illegal when there are american born citizens suffering? I am sorry these illegal kids are ska-rewed by their crappy and selfish, law breaking parents, but I got my own kids to feed and so do my american born and naturalized neighbors. And now, i am a racist because I want my own people taken care of first? millions of college grads languishing in college debt, no jobs, and now we got 800K new illegals able to compete for those jobs. Obama cannot be kicked out soon enough. I voted for him once. Never ever again.

Wong – you were part of the millions that believed the "You Tube generation Obama-hype" and now you finally see the scam this has all been. I didn't vote for him and will not vote for him. I knew better. Anyone who hided from providing something as basic as a birth certificate is not going to stand strong on the subject of illegals.

I have the same kind of birth certificate that Obama has. I also have the newspaper announcements of my birth like Obama has (and that are still in the newspaper's files). Does that make me not an American?
Can we get past the birth certificate and just deal with ACTUAL issues.

All the good jobs go to Chinese and Indian legal immigrants. I work in the tech industry in Santa Clara California, take a drive around you would think you were in Dubai. Mexicans take jobs Americans are too lazy or too proud to work. Education in this country is a joke, that is why we are DOOMED. Trust me uneducated illegals are not a threat to any jobs requiring a college education.

I absolutely detest the religious fanatics who get the illegals here, as part of their "church work" and then after about six months, put them into our society where they have no skills, no money, no desire to work, and tons of children for my tax dollars to feed.

These intended sob stories have the opposite effect cnn. Americans know you are thieves who have slithered into our homes. I will never feel sorry for you, but I will feel sorry for American kids who have had their educations compromised by illegals demanding spanish in schools, cutting classroom time for those who have paid. Or neighborhoods which were once clean and safe and aren't anymore thanks to illegals....

the anchor baby law really needs to be changed. at least one of the parents should have to be an american citizen to give automatic citizenship to a baby. this law the way it stands costs american taxpayers untold billions of dollars every year. this is also the primary reason why health care and insurance is so high. illegals get free medical care and that cost gets passed on to those who have health insurance or have to pay cash for emergency room treatment. illegals never give their real name and have no ssn. it's time to get tough with these parasites.

Americans speak out. We're just not listened to. If we were? We wouldn't be supporting these leeches against our will. As a Veteran. It is a slap in my face. I served Americans and not our invaders and their spawn.

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What defines you? Maybe it’s the shade of your skin, the place you grew up, the accent in your words, the make up of your family, the gender you were born with, the intimate relationships you chose to have or your generation? As the American identity changes we will be there to report it. In America is a venue for creative and timely sharing of news that explores who we are. Reach us at inamerica@cnn.com.